Cup hanger



H. H. CLARK CUP HANGER Sept. 29, 1959 Filed Sept. 20, 1956 INVEN TOR. HENRY H. CLARK ATTORNEY 2,906,406 CUP HANGER Henry H. Clark, El Monte,

Application September 20,1956, SerialNo. 610,957

10 Claims. (Cl. 211-13) i "This invention relates to a cup hanger and more particularly to a cofiee or tea cup hanger.

Anumber of cup hangers of various types have been hooks or hook type hangers are not widely used.

The present invention overcomes the above objections by a guiding means which permits a person attemptingto hang a cup to merely cause the perforate handle of the cup to contact the front end of the guiding means. When the handle contacts a face or front end of the guide means and/or a shelf bottom to which the hanger rack may ,be attached, the handle can then be moved to the right or left until it fits into a space between the guide means in which an individual hanger is located. Thus, the

'cup is placed upon a hanger by means of a rapid, sliding movement along the cup rack and bottom face of a shelf. It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an improved cup hanger.

A principal object of this invention is toprovide a cup rack adapted to be secured to the bottom side of a shelf and which permits the hanging of cups thereon without member.

Other objects of ;the invention will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, 'in which 1 Fig. l is'a plan view of the top of the cup rack;

' Fig.2 is a front view of the invention taken along the line'22 of Fig. 1, showing the rack secured to the bottom of an ordinary shelf (not shown in Fig. 1); and Fig. 3 is a view of the rack taken along the line 33 of Fig. 2. v Referring to Figs. 1-3, cup rack or hanger 11 is comprised of an elongated supporting member 11, a pluf ality of'guide members 3, and a plurality of hanger -members 1. Member 11a may, typically, be a substanttiallyf rectangular prism or any body from whichthe 5 guides and hangers may extend. Guide members 3 may" extend transversely from member 11a conveniently at substantially right angles to its elongated direction or longitudinal axis and adjacent its upper side or top 5. Guides 3 are shown to have the shape of a rectangular prism but may be of numerous configurations. Their ends or external edges 3a, are shown to extend externally beyond the outer ends of hangers 1 in the direction away from member 11a. That is, from side 10, the distance to edge 3a may be greater than the distance to the ends of hangers 1. In Fig. 2, top side 5 of member 11a and the top side of guides 3 are in contact with the bottom 7 of the shelf. However, it is not necessary that the actual contact be made but it is desirable that the elongated member and guides be juxtaposed with the shelf bOtlom and in substantial horizontal relation therewith.

Un e at s P tent Q" I having to carefully and slowly place the cup upon a hanger 2,906,406 Patented Sept. 29, 1959 Hanger members 1 also may conveniently extend transversely from member 11a at substantially right angles to a side face or edge 10 and should be, as shown, offset and below the guides. For ease of manufacture, hangers 1 may be attached to extend adjacent lower or bottom side 9 of member 11a. The individual hangers may be of any configuration which is adapted to fit into the perforate openings in cup hangers and are shown to be substantially cylindrical to provide for easy entry into the average cup handle opening. Hanger members 1 have cutaway or reentrant portions Zadjacent side 10 of member llaand they are directed upward externally of side 10 so as to hold the cup handle from slipping off after it is intended to be secured on the hanger.

Guide members 3 and hangers 1, shown to be substantially axially parallel, are spaced alternately along side 10 in the direction of the elongation of member 11a. Between guides 3 and hangers 1 are spaces 4 to permit the entry of a cup handle.

The shelf, having a top side 8, is an ordinary one, such as may be found in any kitchen or kitchen cupboard, and rack 11 may be secured horizontally thereto with screws through holes 6. To hang a cup on a hanger 1, as is shown in Fig. 2, the cup may be held by the body with itshandle directed generally toward rack 11. The handle should be moved under shelf bottom 7, at a slight distance from it, until it touches a front edge 3a of guides 3 and then moved, as to the right or left in the drawings, without aiming or sighting, until it enters an open space 4. When the latter occurs, the handle will quickly move inward and slip over a hanger member 1. During this operation, the top of the cup handle will generally contact the bottom side 7 of the shelf, which also acts as a guide to aid the cup handle to find one of the open spaces 4. As indicated above, once the cup handle moves from an edge 3a of a guide member, it will immediately move into an open space 4 and onto a hanger member 1. This hanging operation occurs with the greatest of case. As is shown, it is desirable that a guide member be placed on both sides of each hanger member. However, this is not an absolute necessity.

Rack 11 may be made of wood with the hanger members 1 as separate pieces secured on member 11a or may be made of molded plastic, having all the members integral with member 11a. The size of the cups will determine the distance between hangers 1.

The present invention is also very satisfactory for use in automobile trailers or in boats. For such uses, the

cups may be secured by a rubber band, or other tying ;of the appended claims.

- .Iclaimfi.

1. A cup rack comprising a substantially fiat supporting member'adapted to be secured. substantially-horizontally, a plurality of spaced individual elongated hanger members secured to said supporting member and extending transversely from one edge thereof, and guide members integral with and extending transversely from said one edge of said supporting member and spaced horizontally alternately with said hanger members, said guide members spaced above said hanger members so as to be in substantially mutually exclusive horizontal planes therefrom.

-from said supporting member, and spaced guide members extending from'said supporting member alternately W1th respect to said hanger members and in the same direction therewith, said guide members being substantially parallel .to, saidihangerj members and extending a greater distance from said supporting member than said hanger members, i said hanger membersbeing substantially lower than said 'guide members.

3. A cup rack adapted to besecured to a shelf, said cup rack comprising an'elongated supporting member having an upper and a lower face, said rack adapted to be secured to and with its upper face adjacent the bottom face of said shelf, a plurality of spaced substantially parallel hanger members extending transversely from said supporting member adjacent its lower face, and spaced I'substantially' symmetrical guide members extending trans- "ve rs'ely from said supporting member adjacent its upper face and adapted to be adjacent the bottom face of said I shelf, said guide members and said hanger members being spaced alternately along the elongated direction of said supporting member and extending in the same transverse direction therefrom.

4. A cup rack adapted to be secured to the bottom side of a shelf, said cup rackcornprising an elongated supporting member having an upper and a lower face,

said upper face of said rack adapted to be juxtaposed to said bottom side of said shelf when said rack is secured to said shelf, a plurality of spaced substantially parallel,

elongated hanger members extending transversely from a side face of said supporting member'adjacent its lower face, and spaced guide members extending transversely from said side face of said supporting member adjacent "itsupp'er face and adapted to be juxtaposed to said'bottom side of said shelf, said guide members and said hanger members being spaced to extend alternately along said -side face of said supporting member, said guide members extending a greater distance from said side face than said hanger members extend.

5. In combination, a cup rack secured to the bottom side of a shelf, said cup rack comprising an elongated supporting member having an upper and a lower face,

said upper face of said rack juxtaposed to the bottom 'side of said shelf, a plurality of spaced substantially parallel hanger members extending transversely from a side face of said supporting member adjacent its lower face, said hanger members being substantially cylindrical and having a reentrant portion directed upward adjacent and externally from said side face, and spaced guide 'members extending transversely from said side face of said supporting member adjacent its upper face and juxtaposed to said bottom side of said shelf, said guide members and said hanger members being spaced to extend alternately along said side face of said supporting member, said guide members extending a greater distance 'from said side face than said hanger members extend, said guide members and said bottom side of said shelf being adapted to guide perforate cup handles onto said hanger members.

6. In combination, a cup rack secured to the bottom side of a shelf, said cup rack comprising a supporting member having an upper and a lower face, said upper face of said rack juxtaposed to the bottom side of said shelf,

a plurality of spaced elongated hanger members extending from an edge of said supporting member adjacent its lower face, and spaced guide members extending from said edge of said supporting member adjacent its upper face and juxtaposed to said bottom side of said shelf, said guide members and said hanger members spaced to extend alternately along said edge of said supporting member, said guide members extending a greater distance from said edge than said hangermembers extend.

7. The invention according to claim 4 in which said elongated members are substantially cylindrical.

8. The invention according to claim 7 in which said hanger members have a reentrant portion directed upwardly and adjacent to' said' supporting member, said reentrant portion having a substantially fiat horizontal surface.

9. For attachment to the bottom side of a substantially horizontal shelf, a cup rack comprising: an elongated supporting member having upper and lower sub stantially flat vertically spaced faces, said upper face adapted to be secured in contact with said bottom side of said shelf, a plurality of substantially parallel elongated generally cylindrical hanger members extending transversely from a side face of said supporting member adjacent its lower face, said hanger members having a reentrant portion upwardly directed and adjacent said side face; andspaced guide members extending transversely from said side face of said supporting member adjacent its upper face and adapted to be juxtaposed to said bottom side of said shelf; said guide members being substantially rectangular prisms; said hanger members and said .guide members being spaced to extend alternately along an upper and a lower face, a plurality of spaced elongated hanger members extending from an edge of said supporting member adjacent its lower face, said hanger members being substantially cylindrical and having a reentrant portion directed upwardly and extending adjacent said edge of said supporting member, said reentrant portion having a substantially flat horizontal surface forming a portion of the upper side of said hanger members, and guide members extending from'said edge of said supporting member adjacent its upper face and spaced horizontally alternately with said hanger members, said guide members being substantially rectangular prisms, said guide members and said hanger members being substantially in mutually exclusive horizontal planes.

References Cited in the file of this patent 

